Every time ageing sprint champion Sacred Kingdom fails to fire, talk of retirement grows louder, but a freshen up and return to what is now his best trip can see him give weight to a sub-par field and win his 18th race in the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy.
Sacred Kingdom's last three runs have been the worst of a stellar 32-start career, which has reaped HK$45.8 million and captured him the last four Sprinter of the Year crowns.
While it is clear the eight-year-old is on the decline, and a lush New Zealand paddock may be beckoning, his class and fighting qualities should still make him a serious threat when saved for selected strikes at 1,000m.
There have been excuses at two of his last three starts, and perhaps we are unfairly holding Scared Kingdom up to his own lofty standards when describing him as disappointing of late. In the two 1,200m runs, the horse has jumped from wide gates against the top tier of horses and was trapped deep, and two starts back he was only a half-a-length away in fifth behind Eagle Regiment in the Group One Centenary Sprint Cup.
That might not be the 'Sacred of old', but it's not bad form on paper, especially for what is a massive drop in class over a trip the horse loves.
Trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai has vowed to keep Sacred Kingdom to the Sha Tin straight, where he is an impeccable eight from 13 record, and he has lightened the training load on his horse in an effort to have him feeling good. His lead-up trial showed an improved demeanour as he bounced along in front for Gerald Mosse.
Nearly half of the 11-horse field aren't suited by the trip and either need the run or ratings relief, so one concern for Mosse from gate five will be trying to find a horse with enough speed to take him into the race.